Self-lubricating pulley.



M. D. PHELAN.

SELF LUBRICATING PULLEY.

APPLIGATION FILED MAR.,9. 1912.

1,1 18,043. Patented NOV. 24, 1914.

W/T/VESSESL- 3 "UNITED STATE?) MERTON D. PHELAN, OF BOSTOfN,MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOE TG UNITED SHOE NEVI JERSEY.

A CORP ORATION' 0F SELF-LUBRIGATING PULLEY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 9, 1912. .Serial No..;682,613.

To all whom it may concern Beit known that I, Mnn'roN D.- PHELAN, acitizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county ofSuffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certainID'IIHOYGIHQlltS in Self-lnibricating P ulleys, of which the followingdescription, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is aspecification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating likeparts in the several figures.

This invention relates to means for lubricating loose pulleys, cams,wheels, and similar devices.

It has been proposed, heretofore, to provide within the body of a pulleyor similar device an oil chamber and to connect this chamber with one ormoreof the friction surfaces of the device in such a manner that thelubrication of these surfaces will be effected automatically. It hasalso been proposed to provide such devices with a filling tubeprojecting into the oil chamber into a position such that a certainquantity of oil in the chamber can not run out of the filling tube, eventhough the tube is not provided with a cap or plug. Such devices, as

heretofore proposed, however, have been so constructed that in fillingthe oil chamber a much larger quantity of oil can. be introduced thancan be retained in the chamber after the device has been started intooperation. A lar e proportion of oil so introduced, therefore, runs outof the filling-tube. This construction is opento the objection that itnot only is wasteful of oil but also permits the device to retain only arela- 'plane passing through the inlet when the fat device is in anyfilling position is at least as great as is the volume of that part ofthe chamber below said plane. It is, therefore, impossible to pour intothe chamber more oil than can be retained during the operation of thedevice. Preferably these volumes are made as nearly equal as possible sothat the vice will retain a maximum .tional view of a modifiedconstruction.

Referring to the drawings, the pulley 2 maybe a casting drilled asindicatechat 4: to form a bore for the reception of a shaft or axle. Thepulley is cored out to form therein an annularoil chamber 6 encirclingthe bore 4. This chamber comprises a restricted portion a of smallcross-sectional area and an enlarged portion 7). A filling tube 8 leadsfrom the peripheral surface of the pulley into this enlarged portion andhas its inner end resting against the hub oi the pulley, this end beingscalloped, as indicated at 10, to provide an opening through which oilmay flow into the chamber. The

tube may be driven through a holedrilled in the rim of the pulley or itmay be formed integrally with the pulley during the casting operation,and the oil passage may then be drilled therethrough. The inner end ofthe filling tube or of the opening 10therein is positioned in thechamber 6 with its upper edge slightly below the horizontalplanebisecting the volume of the chamber when the pulley is in any fillingposition; that is, any position in which oil may be introduced throughthe filling tube 8 into the chamber. It will be evident that in fillingthe chamber, the pulley will be turned to bring the tube 8 intosubstantially a vertical position with its outer end uppermost. If oilis then poured through thetube Sit will rise in the chamber 6 to a pointapproximately level with the upper edge of the opening 10, any furtherfilling of the chamber being prevented by the air imprisoned within thechamber above the level of the oil and resulting merely in lillingithetube. 8. The volume of that part of; the chamber now occupied by air isat least as great as, and prferably'is equal to, the volume of oil inthe chamber; consequently, when the workman rotates the pulley intoPatented Nov. as, dill-1'1.

the position indicated in 2, the oil in the restricted portion a or" thechamber flows into the enlarged portion 7) to a level below the innerend of the filling tube. C nly that oil within the tube, therefore, willrun out and when this tube has drained, the pulley may be rotatedwithout fear of los ing any more oil.

Oil is carried to the bore l through slots 12 in which are positionedmembers l iof felt or other material ada ed to convey'oil through theaction of capillarity. These members it have projecting portions 16, asbest shown in Fig. 3, that extend into contact with the outer wall. ofthe chamber 6, where they can pick up oil so long as any remains in thechamber, but have their edges cut away to permit a free flow ofoilthrough the chamber.

The modified construction shown in Fig. 4 ditl'ers from that shown inFigs. 1, 2 and 3' merely in that the filling tube 8 is led into thechamber from the side of the pulley instead of from its peripheralsurface; and in having an additional tube 18. The filling tube in thisposition is less likely to "cine clogged with dirt from the belt thanwhen located as shown in Fig. 1, although the latter construction may bepreferable under some circumstances. It for any reason a filling tubeof" small diameter must be used, some diiliculty may be experienced inpouring oil through it due to the fact that the displaced air must alsopass out of this tube. Under such circumstances I provide an additionaltube 18, located similarly to the tube 8 so that the oil may not runoutoi this tube, through which the air may pass during, the filling of thechamber.

In order to compensate for the unbalancing of the pulley that otherwisewould be caused by making one part of the chamber 6 larger than another,the web connecting the rim of the pulley with the hub is made thicker(as shown at 20, Fig. the region of the enlargement Z) than it is alongthe restricted portion a oi the chamber. This arrangement ellects asubstantially uniform distribution of the metal of the pulley about itsaxis but any further balancing that may be necessary is accom' plishedby drilling into the port ons of the pulley that are found to be tooheavy.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new and wire tosecure by Letters Patent of the -ited is:

1. 'A device 01 character described having a bore for the reception of ashaft,

an annular oil chamber formed in said device, surrounding said bore, ailling tube leading from the exterior o't'isald device into said chamberand having-an opening or 1,1 races 2. A device ,of the characterdescribedhaving a bore for the reception of a shaft, an'annular chamberin said device surrounding said bore, said chamber com rising arestricted portion and an enlarge portion a filling-tube leading fromtheexterior 0% said device into the enlarged portionof said chamber and.having its inner end'pbsitioned in said chamber at'a' point such thatthe vol.- ume of that'part ot the chamber above a horizontal planepassing through the end of the tube when the deviceiis in any fillingposition is slightly greater than? the volume of that part of thechamber below said plane, said device having an oil passage leading fromsaid chamber to said bore and the material of said device being disposedsubstantially uniformly about the axis of said bore to balance thedevice.

3. A device of the character described having a bore for the receptionof a shaft, an annular chamber in said device surrounding said borecomprising a restricted portion and an enlarged portion, a filling tubeleading from the exterior of said device into the enlarged portion ofsaid chamber and having its inner end positioned in said chamber at apoint such that the volume'o'f that art of the chamber below ahorizontal p ane passing through the end of the tube when the device isin any filling position is at least as great as the volume of that partof the chamber above said plane, said device having slots leading fromsaid chamber to said bore, members positioned in said slots to conductoil to said bore by capillarity and an air tube leading into saidchamber with its inner end positioned similarly to the end of saidfilling tube, the material of said device being disposed substantiallyuniformly about the axis of the device.

ln testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

v neuron n, PHELAN. Witnesses:

Cnnsrnn E. Rooms,

LAURA M. Goomnusn.

